History of Amsterdam

Amsterdam had its humble beginnings as a fishing village, founded sometime around the 13th century. The village was called Amsteredam, meaning ‘dam on the river Amstel’, after a dam was built on the river. It didn’t take long until the Amsterdammers realised they had a gift for trade and beginning in the 14th century, commerce with the Hanseatic cities flourished and trade became the city’s economic backbone.

Religious freedom

The 16th century saw the beginning of the war of independence against the Spanish rule. Even though Amsterdam at first was on the Spanish side, it later switched sides, in 1578. Consequently, freedom of religion was reinstated, at this time a very clever move. 

Wars of religion raged all over Europe and many people were looking for a place to freely exercise their religious beliefs. Prosperous Jewish families from Spain and Portugal came and made the Netherlands their new home; merchants from Antwerp escaped the demolition and looting of their city by the Spanish army; while the ‘Hugenotes’ from France came to seek a safe haven in Amsterdam in order to exercise religious freedom. In Amsterdam, money talked and people didn’t mind what belief you had, as long as you were prepared to pay your taxes and contribute your share to the economy.

The Golden Age

The 17th century saw Amsterdam’s Golden Age. The city’s ships made the voyage to Indonesia, Brazil and Africa, in the process putting together an impressive empire. In this century, the construction of the canals began, and the city saw the emergence of one of its most famous sons, Rembrandt. Amsterdam became the most important port in the world and an international banking hub.

The wars

In the 18th and 19th century, Amsterdam’s prosperity began to decline. The city suffered from the wars against France and England, and it lost much of its trade to London. Towards the end of the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution reached Amsterdam. Communication with the rest of Europe and the world was improved by waterways to the sea and the Rhine River. Amsterdam got a new lease of life, but never achieved the same domination as before. 

WWI did not directly affect Amsterdam, although trade and industry suffered. However, during WWII, about 100,000 Jewish people were deported from Amsterdam, almost completely wiping out the city’s Jewish community.

The tolerant city

Amsterdam came back on the map in the 1960s, but for reasons other than trade. The tolerance of soft drugs meant the hippie generation made the city its home. Riots and clashes against the police became frequent, reaching their climax in 1980, when protesters battled against the police while Queen Beatrix pledged her oaths that made her the new Queen of the Netherlands. These days, Amsterdam has become more peaceful and has kept its tolerance towards soft drugs and other social problems.